Ghostly Magic
by Aryashi
Summary: Vlad Masters and Opal Kobi. Working together. Need I say more? T for stuff in later chapters. R&R PLEASE! No flames. It's my first story, so I want critisicem TO A DEGREE.
1. Introduction

Authors note: This story takes place after opal deception, just FYI. I thought about doing it after the Lost Colony, but I had no idea how to handle the whole twin factor. Artemis having magic would have been so cool to write about though… (Sigh)

**Ghostly Magic**

By Sliver Child of the Sea

**Introduction**

Butler was nervous.

That in itself was unusual, considering he was trained to absolutely _never_ fear _anything_. What he was nervous about made it even stranger, considering he was hesitating about entering a room he knew perfectly well to have the best security on and under the planet. (Yeah, you read that right. Under)

He was hesitating because his charge, Artemis Fowl, had called him to the briefing room to explain a new "project." Being 14 years old, you would think it was a school assignment or something like that, but that was absolutely never the case. His projects usually involved high security banks, mafia of some sort, or mythical creatures. He was, after all, a child genius and once was a criminal mastermind. He was turning away from that, albeit slowly.

Butler was proud that his Artemis was changing from a criminal to something of a hero. Ever since having his memories returned to him, he had become the Robin Hood of the art world. He had stolen 20 fine pieces to date, and had given them all to museums across the globe (Anonymously, of course). Artemis still loved the thrill of a good plan executed, and didn't want to give up crime just yet.

'_Some people just need to be stolen from'_ He had said. Butler smiled at the thought and opened the door.

"Ah, Butler. You're here. Now let's start the briefing," stated Artemis

"Tell me Artemis, what famous hidden work shall we steal now?" Butler said, relaxing his posture, but not sitting down.

"No art today Butler. Today we begin a grand new venture into completely new territory." Artemis was grinning as contently as a cat in front of a cornered mouse.

"New… territory?" All of the little color in Butlers face drained away to naught. The last time Artemis went into new territory, he almost started a cross-species war. With fairies, no less.

"Yes Butler. New territory. Judging by your reaction you seem to be recalling the last time I ventured into new territory. Not to worry, it won't finish up like the last occasion."

Butler certainly hoped not.

* * *

Danny Fenton sighed. The school day was almost over and as usual, Mr. Lancer was holding on to every last second.

"As you know, after the three day weekend to finish the repairs in the school, we will be having a guest speaker come to visit. His name is Artemis Fowl, and you all should be excited. He is a teenage prodigy, one of the smartest kids on the planet. I hope you all participate and enjoy the presence of a genius."

Danny barely caught the name, and paid no attention to it whatsoever. So a smart kid who was probably rolling in cash was visiting Casper High. Big whoop.

He only thought of the ticking clock after that.

But that didn't mean the name -and the story behind it- wouldn't affect him to an insane degree later.

**End chapter 1**

_**Read and Review Please!!!!**_


	2. Chapter 1

AN: Thank you so much for the reviews! This chapter will be much longer than the intro, so read and enjoy! I forgot to mention, this is before Ultimate Enemy, so Danny doesn't know his sister knows yet.

**Ghostly Magic**

By Silver Child of the Sea

Chapter One

Once again, Artemis's plan had started with the internet. He had been looking for the locations of some famous work or another when he stumbled across a ghost website. Artemis left the webpage almost immediately, but the little gears in Artemis's brain had started whirring the moment he saw the word.

Ghosts. Almost every culture in the world had some term for the dead in the living world. Almost exactly like The People. The idea of the dead walking among us had seemed ludicrous at first, but he then found a news site dedicated to the Ghost Invasion of Amity Park. Apparently the town had been lifted into another dimension and had made it back in one piece due to a ghost known only as Danny Phantom. Other sites claimed he was the one who caused the whole incident in the first place.

Artemis knew that the whole thing probably was a scam of some sort. Then he thought about how fairies lived hundreds of miles beneath our feet and the fact he had his mind wiped by the Lower Elements police only to gain his memories back through a criminal dwarf called Mulch Diggums. He decided ghosts weren't too much of a stretch.

He did some research, and found several organizations that hunted ghosts. Most of them small traveling from town to town sort, others family businesses. A couple where hidden identity types, and he even found a government backed company. Hacking into their files was so effortless that he almost laughed. Turns out they didn't have much on what ghosts actually where and only hunted them because they existed. None of these companies actually knew what they were dealing with, but on of the Family businesses caught his interest. They claimed to have a working 'Ghost Portal' to a dimension full of the undead. He would love to look at that, but it was family run so getting in long enough to examine it would be difficult. He couldn't break in at night; the family's lab was in their home. He would need to get in the front way, without drawing suspicion.

"We shall say that we wanted to stay in the Fenton's home due to the fact I will be speaking at the high school close by and I wanted to learn all I could about ghosts. Judging by the way the father acts about them I will have no trouble learning everything he knows about specters. The Fenton's are a family of four, and their daughter seems pretty sharp, so we will tread around her carefully. The mother will also be a bit of a nuisance, but avoiding her will be of little issue. She is always out with the father hunting ghosts. The son will be of no concern because he is obviously not very intelligent. His grades have slipped to incredibly low levels over the course of the year. The reason is unknown, and probably illegal. In other words, I don't particularly care. "

Most people would have found it amusing that this was said by someone who was once a criminal mastermind.

"Will we need to call in Holly at any point in time?" asked Butler.

"Not unless we discover a fairy behind the whole thing."

Holly Short is an elf that used to be a captain in the Lower elements police unit LEPrecon until recently. She had quit, preferring to become a private investigator with Mulch. She called to keep in touch a lot.

"When shall we leave?"

"Almost immediately,"

Butler nearly sighed. With Artemis, immediately meant in a couple of hours at the most.

"The town I mentioned is called Amity Park, and it's located in America. We will have to leave by jet in 2 hours. Please start packing."

Artemis was leaving when Butler asked "Artemis, why are you interested in ghosts all of a sudden?"

Artemis paused. He actually preferred to keep his plans to himself, but after all Butler had been through, it would be wrong to keep him in the dark.

"I believe that this is a scandal of some sort. Someone with powerful connections and technology. If I uncovered something like that, I would be famous. If that isn't the case, I would love to capture and study a ghost. They defy almost every law of nature and science, and I could make a fortune discovering a method to destroy nuisances like them."

Call Butler crazy, but he thought there was another reason Artemis was hiding. He never did anything unless he gained something from it.

"Is that all?"

"It would benefit the scientific community."

Butler raised an eyebrow. Artemis _absolutely _never did something to benefit the scientific community. Never. Not once in a billion years.

"Judging by your reaction you don't believe me. Very well. There is one more reason behind this. To put it simply, I'm bored."

That made sense. He was a child genius after all.

"I went from _saving the word_ to _mathematics_ in less than a week. My mind isn't being challenged. When I came upon these ghosts, I found a way to test my intellect without bothering the People. I owe them that at least."

Butler nodded and left. He had a lot to do to get ready for the trip.

* * *

"So, what do ya' think?"

"What do you mean what do I think? I don't care," Replied the annoyed halfa as he stared at his trio Ghost vultures.

"So some child genius is going to Amity Park. Why would it affect me?"

Vlad Plasmius was in a bit of a temper. Danny had once again bet all the odds and foiled his perfectly orchestrated plans. How did he keep doing it? Vlad had 20 years experience over the ghost child, and was ten times smarter. The only reason he kept winning was because he had back up. Those two friends of his. What where their names again? Didn't really matter.

"Well, we were just thinkin'. If you got this guy to help you, taking that annoying ghost kid would be a cinch. This boy is smart. He saved his dad from de' Russian Mafia. Not to mention he patented 25 new gadgets in de' last year. He could be pretty useful." Answered one of the vultures

Vlad considered this, but he decided against it. He would either have to trick a child genius, or bring him into the fold. Bad idea, considering he was a half ghost and that could be easily exploited by someone smart enough. Tricking him would be even dumber, considering ever person that had ever crossed a Fowl ended up bankrupt, dead, or in jail.

His cell-phone rang, pulling Vlad from his thoughts. Not many people/ghosts knew his number, and even less ever actually called him.

"Hello?"

"Hello Vlad Plasmius," answered a young female voice.

"Who are you and how did you get this number?"

"I know people. I also know your little secret Vlad Masters,"

Vlad paled. This was difficult, considering he was completely white. This stranger knew both his names, his number, and god knows what else. He had to tread carefully.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing much. I'm simply making an offer," The voice sounded pleased.

"What sort of offer?"

"We both have enemies, enemies that will soon be in our reach if work together,"

"What type of enemies? I have plenty of those," Vlad was playing dumb, trying to lead the stranger to his answer.

"14 year old enemies"

That was enough for Vlad. This person had connections. He could use her adequately.

"Shall I wait for another call or shall we decide the meeting location now?"

"The first option,"

"Very well. Can I know the name of my future partner?"

The voice paused then said, "Opal. Opal Kobi"

The line went dead the instant the words left the strangers mouth.

* * *

DUUN DUUN DUUUUUUN! Cliffhanger!!!!!!


	3. Chapter 2

AN: I forgot to mention, I OWN NOTHING. Danny phantom belongs to the almighty Butch Hartman and Artemis Fowl belongs to the divine Eoin Colfer.

**Ghostly Magic**

By Silver Child of the Sea

Chapter 2

_Two more minutes, just two more minutes. _Thought Danny as the clock slowly ticked toward the end of the school day. He was anxious to leave the school and head to his house, where the chances of a ghost attack were minimal. School was always exceptionally stressful to Danny. His school, Casper High, was the number one site for ghost attacks in the city after all. Considering he was the one that had to beat the ghosts into submission, the anxiety made sense.

_Being a half ghost can be such a pain in the ass…_

The ringing of the school bell shook Danny from his thoughts.

"Finally!" remarked Danny as he gathered his things at light speed.

When he got to his locker, his two best friends, Tucker and Sam, where already waiting for him.

"So guys, are you taking the bus today or the express route?" Danny said with a lopsided grin.

"I wish," replied Tucker. "My parents want me to go to doctor's appointment. Something about my vocal cords…"

"Maybe if you actually talked to them instead of always sending them text messages, they wouldn't be doing this." Replied Sam. "I can't either. My parents want to send me to a shrink."

"Maybe if you didn't insist on wearing black all the time they wouldn't be doing this," Tucker said in a bad imitation of Sam.

"Ha Ha. Very funny Tucker."

Danny sighed. From a distance you would think they where rivals instead of friends. He knew this was their way of showing they cared and all that, but he couldn't help but feel annoyed by it every now and again.

"See you guys around,"

"Bye Danny,"

Danny quickly slung his backpack over his shoulder and ran out the school at top speed. He turned into the nearest alley and skidded to a stop. He did a thorough scan around him, to make sure he wasn't being watched.

When he gave himself the all clear, he closed his eyes and concentrated. Two rings of white energy moved in opposite directions along his figure, changing him into his ghost form. He jumped into the air and soared off, sailing through the clouds with incredible ease. He let himself be lost in the experience. Flying was cool by itself, but flying lacking any outside support, with nothing between you and the sky was too fantastic for words. Danny never got bored of soaring through the air, letting the wind whip in his hair and fly past his cheeks.

This would never get any less cool.

He landed in an alley right next to his house. He once again scanned around him, then went back to human and walked up to the front door of his house, or as other people knew it, Fenton Works. The Op Center hung over him like a flying saucer on the roof. His parents had made it from scratch. It was visible for miles, and yet another way his parents embarrassed him. Danny opened the door and walked into his house, expecting to find nothing but his sister Jazz at the kitchen table eating a snack or doing homework.

Instead he found the ultimate clean up spree going on.

"Hey! Danny! Can you help us bring these downstairs?" His dad, Jack Fenton, was carrying so many inventions of his that his face couldn't be seen anymore.

"Uh...Sure."

Danny grasped some of the heavy equipment in his dad's arms and started walking toward the lab. One his way there, he noticed his mom was working on something in the fridge while Jazz ran around with a vacuum cleaner.

"Hey, Mom, what are you working on?"

"I'm just sealing up the drawer with the mutant hotdogs dear. We have company coming over."

Danny looked surprised. True, the mutant hotdogs where part of one of dads experiments gone wrong. True, they where bad, but most of the time when they had company, they just told them to stay away from the fridge. And that didn't explain why Jazz was running around cleaning everything in sight. Jazz didn't help with clean up unless they asked, and never with this much enthusiasm.

"Who's coming over, the President?" It was both a legitimate question and a jibe.

"Even better! Artemis Fowl, a child genius, wants to learn about ghosts so he can speak about them at school next week! This is going to be a real test of my psychology skills!"

"So? Just how smart is this kid?" Danny wanted to know what level of alert he should be in. His secret was almost easy to keep from his parents, but a child genius would probably be a harder nut to crack.

"How smart is he?! Danny my boy, this kid is amazing! He saved his father from the Russian mafia, and made over 25 new inventions in the last year alone!" His father was obviously sporting an excited grin behind the equipment he was holding.

Danny stared. He was almost in full blown panic-mode. If this kid could save his dad from gangsters, finding out secrets would probably be his specialty. And if he was smart enough to make his own inventions, he was probably smart enough to put two and two together.

"How long is he staying here?" Danny asked, trying to keep his voice under control.

"Just the three day weekend," Jazz sighed.

Danny relaxed. He could handle avoiding someone for three days. Heck, he had become an expert in avoiding people in the last couple months. This wasn't a reason to panic.

That's when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Jazz shouted, shoving the vacuum cleaner into the closet and opening the front door.

_Okay, maybe this is a reason to panic._

Standing in the door way was the single largest man Danny had ever seen, and with Jack Fenton for a father that was saying something. This guy was at least a head over his dad, and twice as wide. While Jack was mostly fat, this guy was pure muscle. Danny got ready in case the giant was in a bad mood.

"Butler, since you have been standing there for a complete five seconds and see no persons attempting to shot me, would you please get out of the way?"

The huge mountain of muscle walked into the house and was closely followed by a young skinny boy with raven hair and icy blue eyes. His skin was almost pure white, and seemed to give off the same eerie glow computer screens do at night. He almost looked like a vampire.

"Greetings. I think it's safe to assume you have already met my bodyguard, Butler."

Butler gave each of the Fenton's a cold stare, analyzing the lot of them. Jazz sort of shrank back, and Jack and Maddie glanced sideways.

Danny met the stare head on.

That surprised Butler. Most full grown men backed away slowly when he examined them, but this kid was opposing him face-to-face, like he wasn't even close to the scariest thing the kid had seen. Butler turned away, but with some information to tell Artemis later.

"I am Artemis Fowl, and I assume you would the Fenton's."

"Y-yes, we are," said Jazz, a little unnerved by the whole thing.

"If you are worried about Butler, I assure you he is quite harmless, unless you attempt to injure me. In which case would probably not end well for you,"

_Whoa, this guy is sophisticated_. He acted more like a billionaire in his twenties then a kid. This guy sort of reminded Danny of Vlad Masters, minus the annoying old guy creepy-ness. He did have the same sort of aura around him though. Like he had the world's most brilliant plan stocked somewhere in his brain. That annoyed Danny. He hated Vlad masters with all his being, so he would obviously hate anyone like him. Danny shot the child genius a look, which he ignored.

"As you all should know, I'm planning on speaking at the high school close by on Tuesday, and I would like to learn as much about ghosts as I can before I do. May we please see our living arrangements?"

The Fenton's where in shock. This kid had just ordered them around like they where nothing more then something to live with, like flies. But they couldn't just tell him what they thought, it would be rude. Maybe this kid new that and was taking advantage of it. He was a child genius after all. Jack grasped the kids stuff and hulled it upstairs to the guest room, with Artemis and Butler following.

When all the guests stuff was set up, Jack went downstairs to prepare his ghost lesson. The kid wanted to know about ghosts, and Jack was happy to oblige. It wasn't everyday that a child genius wanted to see your work.

* * *

"Butler, what do you think?"

"Artemis, I can't find anything out the ordinary, not including the giant hunk of metal on the house. But I did notice one thing about the boy, Danny."

"What?"

"You noticed that when I looked for weapons concealed in the clothing, all of their muscles tensed up. It's human instinct. But that kid, he was forcing his muscles to loosen. I've seen that before, but only in fighters with advanced agility techniques. It was obviously self-taught, which makes the feat even more impressive. He's clearly been fighting a lot of foes for a long time. We might need to watch him."

Artemis nodded. He knew that when a person was fighting, tense muscles increased raw strength, but your agility suffered. It was minor, but if your fighting was agility and not much else, you needed the advantage.

"We will watch him closely,"

They heard a knock. Butler took out his sig saucer, cocked it, and opened the door.

Danny had never had a gun pointed to his head before, and he could say it wasn't a pleasant experience. He knew that a simple twitch of Butler's finger could kill him. One little twitch and he would have a bullet lodged in his brain. He stiffened.

When Butler realized it was just Danny, he put the gun in its holster. He wasn't worth a bullet.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing much. I just wanted to explain a few things about the place."

Artemis decided that the more he knew the better off he was.

"Go on," He said curtly.

Danny smiled. It was time to show this kid that he was in way over his head.

"First off, explosions are normal, so don't go running if you hear a bang. Second, no matter what you do, don't give my Dad any sort of hint you're a ghost. You will end up covered in goo. Third, you can't go into the Lab or the Op center unsupervised, and this is for your own safety. Even I don't know how messed up some experiments can get, and I live here. Third, ghost sightings are common so I would suggest you stick close to here. We have the only anti-ghost shield for about… ever," Danny said plainly.

Butler was having a very hard time keeping a straight face. This was all too much…

"Oh, almost forgot, you're going to have to ask my Dad for weapons. Normal guns don't work on ghosts,"

Butler had already figured this out, but he never went anywhere without his Sig Saucer. It was a habit of his, plus it was a useful thing.

Artemis nodded, looking no more concerned than a man who had just watched an infomercial.

"Is there anything else?" He asked plainly.

"Nope, that's it. I do have a question though."

Danny jerked his thumb at Butler.

"Why do you need jumbo over here? He seems like overkill if you ask me,"

Danny listened intently. Though he had never told anyone, his senses had heightened to incredible to degree since the accident. He could see better than the average falcon, feel exactly how many grains of dust where on a surface, and hear people's pulses when he was standing close enough. Pulses always spiked when they were lying, so he was basically human lie detector.

Artemis decided to scare the young boy a bit. If he respected and was afraid of him, the less of a threat he would be.

"I have enemies. Enemies that would not hesitate to slowly murder your family to get to me. I need Butler to protect me from those enemies."

Danny didn't know what scared him more. The factual tone he said this in, or that he wasn't lying. This kid needed to be watched. Closely.

"O-Kay. That's a good enough reason, I guess."

Danny walked away, slightly disturbed about what Artemis had said. He definitely needed to tell Tucker and Sam about this later.

* * *

I originally wanted to have the Opal-Vlad meeting in this chapter to, but it was talking too long and I wanted to post.

_**R&R!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!**_

End Chapter 2


	4. Chapter 3

AN: I just wanted to thank people for the reviews. By the way, anonymous reviews are now welcome! JUST REVIEW!!!!

**Ghostly Magic**

By Silver Child of the Sea

Chapter 3

Vlad Masters flew through the night sky, letting the night air flow over him like water. The stars shined, the owls called, and the crickets chirped out of pure delight. He almost let out a sigh of joy. While the adrenalin rush he used to get had long ago vanished, he still enjoyed a calming surge of endorphins. The sky was his. It belonged to him more than any other living being on the planet. Even though Danny could fly, he still was inexperienced. The sky definitely belonged more to him.

"Wait, Wait, Vlad. You can't get distracted. This is a meeting,"

He touched down at the exact location the girl had specified, with a grace that took years to perfect.

He changed back into his human form, just in case the girl didn't know and thought Plasmius was a nickname for a gang or something. It was a slim chance, but anything was better than someone knowing he was a half-ghost. Absolutely anything.

Vlad heard a rustling in the bushes. Instead of turning, flinching or even batting an eye, he listened and watched. Like Danny, his senses had been amplified, but his aging had taken the edge off them. The noise wasn't ghostly, that much was sure. He could dimly hear the pulse. He saw the bushes move again and finally decided to speak up.

"Whoever you are, you can come out now. I know your there."

Whatever Vlad had been expecting, it wasn't what happened next. The air wrinkled like cloth, and was flung into the air. What landed on the ground appeared to be a mass of circuits. Where the weird blanket once was, there stood a young girl. Maybe 10 or 12, by the looks of her. She stood there in what looked like normal clothes, except for one detail. The girl had a pair of what looked like mechanical wings. Though Vlad wasn't an expert in mechanics, he knew everything that was on the market. These wings definitely weren't for sale, even in other countries. This person had either invented them herself, or had some hell of a genius on her side. Both options didn't bode well for him.

"Hello Vlad Masters,"

"Hello Opal Kobi, if that is your real name,"

"Why of course it is. Why would I need a fake one when I'm, oh how would you Mud-Men put it? 'Holding all the cards'"

Vlad could tell that was an insult and it was definitely a racial thing, but it confused him. 'Mud Man' would imply that he was the color of mud, but he was Caucasian. It was almost like this girl was insulting the whole human race or something…

"Why are you in that form? You can hardly defend yourself like that. Change into your other one,"

"What other form?" Vlad asked innocently.

"Oh don't play dumb with me. I know about the ecto-acne. I know about your ghost form. I know everything,"

With all his hopes of the name "Plasmius" being a misunderstanding out the window, Vlad stopped beating around the bush.

"All right, what do you want?"

"I want the destruction of my enemy. And if you help me, I'll throw in the destruction of yours,"

"I don't want Danny destroyed, I just want his father destroyed. I want him to see that I'm a much better fa-… _Caretaker_, than he is."

_You can't say you want to be a dad in front of a criminal mastermind,_ Vlad thought to himself

"But you do want him broken. You want him hopeless. You want him to stop fighting and join you. I can arrange that," The tone of voice Opal said this in made Vlad want to call someone who could fix this girl up with a nice rubber room. Then again, he was a little on the nutty side himself.

"You know all there is to know about me. In exchange for my services, I want to know all there is to know about _you_." Vlad was taking a risk and he knew it. This kid could go to the media. This kid could give his greatest secret and shame to news reporters that would lap it up like vampires.

Opal looked thoughtful for a minute. She needed him to find out eventually, so why not? The more he thought he knew, the more trust he would place in her.

"It's a very lengthy tale, so I will send it to you. How? You'll see."

Vlad nodded. He knew he was lucky just getting that.

"Is this when you make your dramatic exit?"

"No, not yet. There's one more thing. Keep the Camfoil. It's that mess of circuits over there. Have someone good examine it when you get my tale. It's to prove it."

"Is now the dramatic exit?"

In response, Opal turned on her wing and soared off into the night, leaving Vlad alone in the clearing.

"I'll take that as a yes."

* * *

"So let me get this straight. This gorilla body-guard pointed a gun at your head because you knocked on the door?!?"

"For the hundredth time Tucker, YES HE DID! Can I move on please?"

"Okay, Okay, just tell me what kind of gun it was,"

Danny rolled his eyes. "All I know is it would take both of my hands to pull the trigger, and it was big enough to reach from hairline to nose."

Danny, Tucker and Sam where sitting in Sam's dark room, talking about the situation. It wasn't their usual meeting place, but it would have to do. The guestroom was right next to Danny's, and their arguments could be loud and exposing ones.

"Anyway, the gorilla puts his gun away, and I ask him why he needs a bodyguard like that. I mean, he is HUGE! This guy is like a head above my DAD!"

_That_ got Tuckers and Sam's attention. Danny's dad was the biggest guy they knew. Saying this guy was a head above him was like saying he was a head above a, well… gorilla.

"And he tells me has enemies." Danny almost shuddered, but decided it wasn't the right message to send his friends.

"What kind of enemies? They can't be any worse than yours." Sam scoffed. "Yours are monsters from beyond the grave for crying out loud."

"His exact words were 'I have enemies. Enemies that would not hesitate to slowly murder your family to get to me. I need Butler to protect me from those enemies'," He said in a mocking, but accurate, imitation.

"This bodyguards name is _Butle_r? That must not be good for his self-esteem."

"I think his size makes up for it Tucker," Danny replied mordantly.

"So you believe him? He could just be trying to scare you," Sam suggested.

Danny shook his head. "This kid was either telling the truth or he is the best liar I've ever seen,"

It was true, technically. He just didn't mention he could hear the kids pulse. If he told them that, it would bring up the question if could hear theirs.

And he would have to answer yes.

"Can you possess him and search his memories?" Sam asked

"No way Sam. I'm not doing that again. Remember what happened when I tried that on Tucker?" Danny didn't mean to bring the subject up, but Sam needed to know how against that he was now. He glanced over at his friend.

Tucker was shuddering, like he was trying to shake the memory off. He remembered the whole thing with amazing clarity. Hoping to avoid painful recollections, Danny changed the subject.

"Anyway, that kid is smart, and I need to watch him. I'm going to stick around during the ghost lesson to see how much Dad's willing to teach him,"

"You mean how much really useful information about how to hunt ghosts?"

"Exactly."

"So you're just going to sit there and listen to your dad blab all afternoon?"

"That's the plan,"

"Well, sounds great, let us know how it goes," said Sam and Tucker, making a break for the door.

"Not so fast guys," Danny said, grapping them by the shirts. "If I've got to listen to my dad's lecture, I'm not going without backup,"

He dragged them out of the room, heading towards his house.

* * *

Holly sighed. Her private investigation business had not been going well.

In fact, business had been going as far from well as physically possible. Her famous face kept blowing their cover, and all of the few criminals they had actually caught where small time smugglers. Even with Sool as a commander she would have caught better. The only reason she had quit LEP was because she thought she could do more for the People by herself. It seemed like the right thing to do, like what Julius would do.

Julius Root.

Holly bit her lip, holding back the urge to cry. Julius's death was still fresh in her mind, and constantly jumped up to sting.

After the sadness, the incredible urge for revenge came. Revenge on Opal Kobi, the one responsible for Root's death. Her conscience hadn't been cleared when she was sent to prison. Holly wanted her to die the slowest most painful death imaginable. She wanted to stand and watch laughing as Opal Kobi was tortured to madness, suffering for every moment she had hurt someone.

She knew these thoughts where evil. But then again, who didn't have evil thoughts from time to time?

"Holly?" asked Mulch as he walked into the small room that served as their headquarters.

"Yeah Mulch?"

"Have you seen today's paper yet?"

"No…"

"You should look, like right now."

"Why?"

"Trust me it's going to be our biggest case so far."

Normally this would make Mulch happy, but he almost sounded scared. His voice was seething with hatred, as if the words tasted like something rotten.

_What sort of headline would make him act like that?_

Holly grasped the paper from where it sat, unopened, at her desk. She slowly unfolded it.

**OPAL KOBI ESCAPES!**

The headline blared in her face, almost knocking her senseless. She felt like she had been punched in the stomach.

"No… It can't be…,"

**THE END**

AN: Sorry it took so long; I just didn't have much time to write! Anyway, I just wanted to explain some things.

Danny almost always uses momentum to give his punches and kicks an edge right? So that means that his fighting style is all agility, like mentioned in chapter 2.

Yes, Holly and Danny will meet. How? I'm not saying.

Just so you know I don't do pairings, or least I'm not planning on doing any. They might turn up later on.


	5. Chapter 4

AN: Wow, thanks for the reviews! Especially cevinciamaria and cordria! GIVE ME MORE REVIEWS!!! PLEASE!!!

On a more serious note, Holly thinks some pretty gruesome things. Anyone with a weak stomach should shut off their computer right now, run screaming to the nearest shoe store, and order a cheese burger.

**Ghostly Magic**

By Silver Child of the Sea

Chapter 4

Opal Kobi knew from the beginning a quiet escape was going to be impossible.

Hell, any escape at all would take all of her skills and cunning. She was in a solid steel room, with no ventilation. The only door was about the size of a mail slot and it only opened in one direction (inwards); there was no way to pull on it from the inside.

The metal itself had been poured directly into a mold, so there were no rivets or nails to work with. There were cameras in each corner, leaving no blind spots. They hadn't even given her a toilet to use. All she had was a box they changed once a week.

Opal spent her days thinking and eating, putting every last ounce of effort into finding a way to escape. Every last thought was about a way out.

Not that it did any good. All that thinking just led her to one conclusion…

Without help, she was as stuck as a roach in a roach-motel.

* * *

Danny Fenton leaned against the lab wall and heaved a small sigh. Tucker and Sam had fled long ago and his dad's lesson had just gotten started.

It wasn't getting anywhere fast.

"So… Artie. You want to learn about ghosts," Boomed Jack Fenton from his usually spot in front of the blackboard, pointing to diagrams that looked like they had been done by a two-year-old. (Jack wasn't a great artist)

"It's Artemis. And if I didn't Mr. Fenton, would I be wasting my time here?" Artemis replied coldly. He was sitting in an extremely uncomfortable looking plastic chair, while Butler towered over him.

"Well, if you do want to want to learn about ghosts, you need to know the basics,"

Jack gave no hint as to if he heard the comment or not.

"Ghosts, simply put, are the minds of dead people imprinted on ectoplasm. Because they are imprints of human minds, they usually have an obsession. A reason to exist. For example, a person who dies and thinks they left something undone in life will usually try to come back as a ghost and finish it,"

Danny knew from experience his dad was right. Skulker wanted to be The World's Greatest Hunter, Technus wanted to be The Ultimate Master of Technology, and the Box Ghost… wanted to scare people with boxes? He mentally shrugged.

"All ghosts have four basic powers;" Jack continued "Flight, Invisibility, Intangibility, and Possession. Stronger ghosts will have powers based on their obsession. For example, a ghost obsessed with fudge will have fudge based powers… Mmmm, fudge… lots and lots of fudge…"

Artemis raised an eyebrow as Jack made a not-so-discrete Simpsons reference.

Watching Artemis carefully, Danny noticed that he was giving his dad his complete and undivided attention. He was certainly skeptical, but he was acting like this was something that was going to be tested on later. His pulse and breathing were slowing down, and he seemed to be less interested than he was before.

Jack pulled himself back together and continued his speech.

"In order to hunt these ghosts, you need to know your gear," Jack walked over to the counter and picked up what appeared to be a metallic thermos.

"This... is the Fenton Thermos. It's supposed to trap ghosts-"

"Supposed to trap ghosts?" Artemis cut off icily, raising an eyebrow (again).

Jack looked sheepish. "We've… never actually had a successful test…"

Putting the thermos down, Jack walked over to the large metal doors on the far side on the lab.

"And this… is the Fenton Ghost Portal,"

Artemis's head snapped up and his pulse quickened in excitement. Danny noted his interest with caution. Oblivious to both of the boys, Jack continued his speech.

"It lets ghosts into our world whether I want it to or not. And someday, I'll figure out how it turned itself on,"

This little remark earned raised eyebrows from both Artemis and Butler.

"You mean you don't know how it works?" Artemis commented, sounding a little dumbstruck.

Looking slightly insulted, Jack turned and confidently boomed "Of course I know how it works! I built it!"

Danny smirked as his dads pulse sky-rocketed.

* * *

Sailing over the Atlantic with ridiculous speed, Holly thought evil thoughts.

Before, she had just wanted Opal to die a painful death.

Now she wanted her to die by her own hands. Preferably by some form of ridiculously large gun. Maybe a flame-thrower….

"You do realize that if Sool finds out about this, I'll be fired, right?" Foaly's voice crackled over the radio in her helmet.

Holly sighed. "Yes, I know. But he won't find out right?"

"Of course not! Do you doubt my security system?" Foaly was so sensitive about that stuff it was mildly pathetic.

"No. But speaking of your system, how did you know Opal was in America?"

Holly could swear she heard Foaly swell with pride

"She's lying low, pretending to be a mud man. In order to flee the country, she would need to make a passport. I just checked out all the passports made recently and compared the pictures to hers. Found a 90 percent match heading to America. A little town called Amity Park was where the plane landed. "

"Smart. But what about the other 10 percent?"

"Uhh…" Foaly sounded evasive.

Holly would have shaken her head, but that would be stupidly dangerous at this speed. Foaly had no idea if this was actually Opal. It was just a guess, and it was still the best lead they had.

Getting Foaly to help had been easy. He still had a bone to pick with Kobi for messing with his system, not to mention killing Root, the Goblin Rebellion, or the almost-exposure. Plus the added bonus of spiting Sool by having an investigation right under his overly large, warty nose.

"So, you like the wings? I managed to get you a top-of-the-line model. These babies go almost the speed of sound."

"Remind me again. Why I couldn't just take a shuttle to America?"

Foaly rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Because Sool is watching you. I needed to convince him that you where just investigating a small time smuggler named Doodah Day. You can really catch him when you get back."

A fish smuggler; how bad could that be?

Moving her mind from less important topics, she concentrated on her flight pattern.

"How long until I reach my target?"

"About two hours. You hit land in one."

"Where do I go once I get to the city?"

"There is an old Fairy Fort on the edge of town. I have it stocked with enough of the essentials to last about a month. That should be more than enough time to see if it's really Opal."

There was a pause. Both where thinking of what other information was needed for this mission. If it was any other case, Foaly probably would have been delivering his trademark waffle, but with Holly practically radiating rage, it didn't seem appropriate.

After a few minutes of silence, something occurred to Holly.

"Where's Mulch? How is he getting to America?"

Holly heard a sudden burst of what at first appeared to be static, but turned out to be Foaly snorting.

"You just remembered that your partner wasn't there? Where are you Holly? Because it certainly isn't Earth,"

Holly grinned in spite of herself. It was nice that things where being lead into some semblance of normal.

"Sorry, I'm a _tiny _bit distracted. Could you explain please?"

Foaly heaved a sigh, somehow managing to sound pleased and annoyed at the same time.

"Mulch can't travel via wings, especially during the day. Plus there's the small problem of him being unable to shield. I knew that the only way to get Mulch over there was by shuttle, so I convinced Sool that he didn't need watching,"

Holly almost nodded, but caught herself. No sudden neck movements when you're going almost super-sonic.

"So? How did you do it?"

"Well… I convinced him that the team broke up and that Mulch was on vacation in the Bahamas,"

This time Holly couldn't stop the giggle from slipping out. She tried to pass it off as a cough and get serious again.

"Did he buy it?" She was unable to stop smiling.

"Hook, line, and sinker. I even put together a fake film of you fighting. Want to see?"

"Maybe another time. Right now we need to focus on the mission. How do you think Opal escaped?" It was a serious question, but Holly wasn't expecting a serious answer.

Foaly took a deep breath, and started his long speech.

"I reviewed to tapes, and it looks like someone busted her out. The escape appeared planned, so I went back and watched the feed from the previous weeks. She looked like she was spending all of her time meditating at first, then something changed. She started sitting in a corner, like she was hiding something. She would move away, and there wouldn't be anything there. It's not like she could dig a tunnel, so the guards dismissed it as her going crazier. I think she was somehow communicating with someone else in the jail. I checked all the nearby cells, and the prisoner next to her escaped at the same time. Bittz Dirtlip, criminal dwarf, shielded and tricked small children into letting her enter their homes. She still has all of her magic, and a rap sheet as long as my arm,"

Holly blinked in surprise. "Do you think Mulch has a long-lost twin sister?"

"That was actually my first guess. I even did a DNA comparison, and those two aren't anymore related than any other dwarves," Foaly sounded exasperated.

Holly was sure that Bittz was a fangirl of some kind, but didn't voice this idea. She knew Foaly would never buy it.

Suddenly the surface below her changed from blue to a mixture of grays and greens. Her helmet chirped, signaling that she had arrived in America.

"I forgot to ask, what's the situation here?"

The sound of computer keys clacking came over the speaker. It was odd that Foaly would use such an outdated keyboard, but he seemed more comfortable with them.

"No more than 100 fairies have set foot here since the American Revolution, and it's unlikely that will change soon. The Americans have populated almost every mile of the continent, and there aren't any convenient chutes from Haven or Atlantis. Some fanatical tourist go to D.C. every once in a while, but that's pretty much it,"

"What about the Ritual? Are there any sites near Amity Park, or at least on the way?"

More clacking, faster this time.

"There is one site about 2 miles away from the fort, so you don't have to worry about magic. Good thing Opal decided to head there, or else you would have to go without it. That is one of the only sites in the U.S.,"

Holly growled. "Humans?" She hated that they could destroy such magical places without a second thought.

"Actually, no. There just weren't many ancient oak trees to begin with. Redwood, pines, birch, sure, but the oaks just didn't last long enough. Seeds too eatable, wood too strong, stuff like that," Foaly sounded slightly surprised, but he knew it made sense.

"Is that everything?" Holly asked.

"Pretty much. Oh, I have to go, Sool wants me. Bye" Click.

Silently wishing her friend luck, Holly turned her attention to the sky. Being mad while looking at the clouds is hard to do, but Holly managed.

_I'm coming for you Opal. Just you wait._

* * *

End chapter 4


	6. Chapter 5

**Ghostly Magic**

By Silver Child of the Sea

Chapter 5

_Is it possible to die of boredom?_ Danny wondered, staring at the lab ceiling. His dad's lesson had been going on for an hour now, and they had started to go into complex theories and laws that Danny couldn't figure out for the life of him.

"So by simply neutralizing the charge of their electrons…"

"They can pass through solid objects due to the lack of magnetic force between atoms," Artemis finished Jacks statement for him and, for the first time since kindergarten, was a hairs-breath away from speaking in exclamation points.

"Right! So how do they do it? I figure that they…" That was the end of the words Danny understood and the start of names that would make a physicists head explode. He really hated when his Dad started talking this way. It was kind of like listening to two people talk to each other in a language he didn't understand. He just _couldn't _tune it out.

Danny slid father down against the wall, blowing some hair out of his eyes. He didn't like his father's lessons when they were in English, and now he had to sit through one in nerd-ish? It was torture.

But he knew he had to. If Fowl was learning about ghosts, he needed to know why. Danny may not have been the brightest bulb in the socket, but he could recognize an excuse when he saw one. If the only reason Fowl was here was so he could speak to Casper high, Danny would eat the thermos - _with_ all of the ghosts in it.

* * *

While Danny was complaining and Artemis was gathering information, Butler was desperately trying to stifle a yawn. Body guards don't yawn, no matter how bored they are. It wasn't his job to be entertained, or even understand what Artemis and Mr. Fenton where talking about; it was his job to stand there and look menacing. Still, he couldn't help but feel left out.

Mentally shaking his head and reestablishing his focus, Butler glanced around the lab for the second time in as many minutes. It was a routine thing, watch for changes in the environment, but Butler had been doing it a little more often than was necessary. His soldier's sense was faintly buzzing in the base of his skull, and his muscles stood taut. Butler was on edge, and he didn't know why.

Scratch that, he _did_ know why, he just didn't want to admit it. The idea that something as trivial and harmless as a moody teen would worry him seemed ridiculous, laughable. But he was anxious, and his soldier's sense had never let him down before. Something about that Fenton kid rubbed Butler the wrong way.

Glancing backward, Butler watched the teen blow some low lying hair out of his eyes. It was one of the only motions he had made the entire lecture. No teen would ever sit still that long, at least not a normal one. It was even hard to hear his breathing, a sound that should have been obvious to Butlers well trained ears. It was almost like he was a statue, carved into marble leaning against that chrome wall. That wasn't right. He had never, in all his years as a body guard, seen a kid motionless for more than 2 seconds. It had taken him years of training to develop that focus and control.

How was this possible?

Butler knew this kid was going to be trouble, even if that trouble only consisted of a distraction. The basic plan of action would be to remove the distraction, scare him into staying out of the way. But Butler knew that wouldn't work.

Staring as inconspicuously as one can stare, Butler glared into the kids unfocused, yet sharp eyes. They glowed with a steely determination, the kind that persisted through months of the worst kind of torture in the hands of the most sadistic men the world can create. The kind of eyes that had seen hell and survived.

Turning his eyes back to Artemis, Butler felt himself tingle with something he hadn't felt in almost decades; _Jealousy. _It had taken him years of work at Madame Ko's School to do what this boy was doing. How was he doing it? How was a kid in a small town in the middle of nowhere this good? There were no signs of gang violence and barely any criminal activity at all. The only thing that the town had going for it danger wise was this stupid ghost hoax. _Why the hell was he this good?_

His self control failing him, Butler casually turned his gaze back to the wall behind him.

Butler was not easy to frighten. He had kept his head in many situations that would have caused most other grown men to wet their pants. But what he saw behind him was almost enough to make Butler scream in terror.

The kid was gone.

* * *

Holly quickly closed the throttle, doing the aerial equivalent of screeching to a halt. She was directly above the center of Amity Park, hovering about 200 feet above the street. She looked around, trying to get her bearings.

It seemed like an ordinary town, for the most part. Shopping mall, business district, schools, suburbs, all the trappings of every city in the world.

But something was off. Lots of areas were under construction, and pedestrians moved like ants with a finger hovering over them. _Move, move, move! _They all appeared to be thinking. The faster they got to a building, the better. That was interesting. What on Earth would make everyone so anxious?

Making a slow, controlled descent, Holly got closer to one of the nearest construction sites. It looked like a small store was being built. Or torn down; She couldn't tell at this height.

'_Got to get closer then,' _she thought.

Dropping down to a mere ten feet above the ground, Holly got as close to the store as she possibly could without her wings disturbing anything.

What she saw made her stomach splat into the dirt below.

The brick wall on the buildings right side was completely covered in burns and scorch marks. Parts of it were melting away, as though struck was a mixture of fire and acid. Holly franticly searched her memory, looking for any sort of fairy weaponry that could do this sort of damage. She found none.

What was Opal doing here? Why would she go on a rampage with new weapons? And for that matter, how the heck had she made them? Any fairy that hadn't been living above a rock for the past decade wouldn't sell her a toothpick; much less the raw materials to make whatever had done this. And there was no way humans had this sort of technology. Or was there?

Holly blinked, her brain jamming in place.

_Humans?_ Do _this?_ How had she even thought that? Foaly had been keeping tabs on all of the major advances in human technology. The very idea was beyond ridiculous, almost enough to send her into hysterics. Panicky hysterics, that is.

Could it be possible? Could humans have finally caught up with them? If they had advanced farther than the fairy people in even one field of study, discovery was possible. Holly suddenly got the horrible image of mud-men bursting into Haven, armed with canons that shot flames and acid.

Holly opened the throttle wide, trying to leave the image behind her on the ground. She should tell Foaly about this. She should go back and get pics to send back to the lab so she would have proof. She should be doing a closer examination.

Unfortunately, what she should be doing and what she was doing weren't exactly in the same neighborhood.

Holly ascended about 100 feet into the air before evening out, convincing herself that she was going to look for more examples of the burns. Yeah, that's what she was doing.

It was obvious to even her that Holly Short was knee deep in that river in Egypt.

But instead of being able to continue this parade of denial, Holly was greeted with a much unexpected (not to mention hard) blow to her stomach.

* * *

A couple minutes earlier, Danny had been leaning against the lab wall, desperately wishing for an excuse to get out of there. The Fates (obviously in a good mood) decided he had suffered enough a graciously provided him with a text from Tucker.

Another interesting quirk that came with the heightened senses was the ability to know when his phone collected anything, even when set on silent. The electricity was always moving in it, but Danny had learned to recognize the small change in the hum it made when anything was received.

He glanced at the Gorilla, whose head was momentarily turned away from him. Subtly, Danny reached into his pocket and checked the message.

_*Bg n 31. GI? * _

It was a code they had developed in their spare time, mostly because it was cool. _Bg_ stood for "Box Ghost", _31_ meant "31rst street", and _GI?_ meant "Got it?"

Casting another wary look the Butlers way, Danny quickly phased into the lab wall, changing into his ghost form half-way through. Emerging on the other side of the brick wall, Danny quickly typed

_*Y* _

and sent it to Tucker. He also made sure to grab a thermos from the stock they had in an old garbage can.

'_31rst street… now where was that again?' _Danny thought, ascending higher into the air, intending to get his bearings.

Now, the odds of two invisible objects hitting each other in mid-air was two hundred fifty million, four hundred thirty eight thousand, three hundred and four to one, against. But if these two objects hadn't collided, there wouldn't be a story. So enjoy the nigh impossible collision of a shielded fairy and an invisible ghost-child.

Danny's head (which had been shooting upwards) crashed into Holly's stomach (which had been maintaining level flight), sending both of them rocketing in different directions. Both of them were able to regain enough control to manage a hover, but the jarring force of the impact knocked both Danny's invisibility and Holly's shield out of the park.

When the two of them looked up, they were each greeted with the single strangest thing they had ever seen

Danny saw a 3 foot tall humanoid, not a ghost, hovering in the air with a pair of mechanical wings on her back. She wore a metallic sort of suit that vaguely reminded Danny of spandex, but had a futuristic look to it. Plates covered all of the vitals, and it was wearing a sleek helmet looked almost like a motorcyclists. He also spotted a small gun on its hip. The whole thing put together screamed futuristic alien warrior, at least in Danny's eyes.

Holly saw a teenage human boy with glowing green irises, snow white hair, and the palest skin she had ever seen. He was floating in mid air, with no signs of wings or any other tech holding him there, and had on a black and white jumpsuit with a strange logo on the chest. He looked surprised, but not overly so, and looked like he was getting ready for a battle. Holly got the impression of a super hero from some comic book or cartoon.

Both of them remained motionless for a while, waiting for someone to make the first move. The air crackled with tension, neither of the pair willing to give an inch. It built and built, like the lava in a volcano, until the inevitable eruption occurred.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!?!!?"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?!?!?"

End chapter 5

AN: Yes! Finally! My first day of summer vacation and I've already gotten something accomplished! W00t. :-D

Sorry about the short chapter. I loved that cliff-hanger so much that I decided to end the chapter there. Please don't hate me…

I swear, on all forms of literature from Shakespeare to fanfics, this story will be updated at least once more this summer!!!! *Teary-Eyed-Clenched-Fist-O'-Guts*

Review, PLEASE!!!


	7. Chapter 6

AN: ……. FORGIVE ME! I'm a bad, bad, bad person! I should have updated YEARS ago! *Punishes Self* Bad Author! Bad Author! Very Bad Author!

That is all.

Disclaimer: I don't own any character in this chapter. None of them. Not even the Box Ghost. That makes me very sad.

**Ghostly Magic**

By Aryashi

Chapter 6

When Technus, Master of all things with Blinky Lights, first saw the pile of wires that Vlad wanted examined, he had been unimpressed.

He, Czar of the Circuit board, had been dragged out of his lair in the middle of a planning a Hip and Rad way to show that young whipper-snapper Danny Phantom exactly what a techno-ghost could do. Calling him Out of Date…!

But when Vlad Plasmius wanted you somewhere, you went there. No questions asked.

Still, Technology was Technology, so he started examining the woven-circuits.

"So, what's so special about it?" He asked, for once getting straight to the point.

"It made a normal teenager invisible, even when I was standing no more that 2 yards from her-"

"You dragged me, Prime Minister of Screens and Speakers, here to examine a simple cloaking device? Invisibility is easily obtained with even the tiniest-,"

"_Without using ectoplasm,_" The Vampire Ghost finished, thoroughly enjoying seeing the look of slack-jawed shock settle of the seriously out-of-date ghost's face.

"No ectoplasm? That's impossible! Invisibility without ectoplasm… it's simply not possible! Even I, Master of All Things Mechanical, cannot achieve such a feat! "

"Well apparently someone did. I want you to figure out how this thing works, and see if you can trace the design to anyone. I want to figure out who this "Opal" person is before she starts to feed me stories…"

Plasmius had muttered that last bit under his breath, obviously not intending for Technus to hear it. Well, he had, and besides the gossip that would eventually spread through the Ghost Zone on his word, he couldn't have cared less. This cloak, or mass of circuits, or whatever it was, was more worthy of his valuable attention than anything in the personal life of the Ghost Zones all-but-official Godfather.

'_Yes! Reference to current cinematic presentation achieved! How's that for Out of Date?'_

* * *

Danny was surprised, but not overly alarmed. He'd seen a lot of weird things in the months since the accident, and he had adopted the view point of "Anything's possible," as an almost survival tactic.

Holly Short, however, had not.

To be fair, she had seen plenty of unusual things. Artemis Fowl probably topped the list, but joining him where a butler named Butler who had come back from the dead, an absolutely psychotic Pixie, Trolls in Italian restaurants, and _exactly_ what happened when you gave a dwarf vole curry laced with laxatives. She had lived with and fought some of the most bizarre things the Fairy Realm

Unfortunately for her, this was not the Fairy Realm.

She was panicking, obviously, but she managed to keep her head by following basic protocol.

"_First, scan the anomaly. __If ya can't get a full scan, fine. Anything is better than nothing,"_

Holly started the scan, circling around the figure slowly. It made no move to either stop or encourage her.

"_Next, see if it's hostile. If it isn't,_ _let it act first,"_

It wasn't doing anything but floating there. Did defying the laws of physics count as a hostile action?

_Focus, Holly!_

"_If it is hostile, get out of there. The second, no, INSTANT it does anything funny, haul Fairy ass. Recon is dangerous enough without risking the unknown," _

The scan was almost complete, just another minute…

"BEWARE!! FOR I AM THE BOOOOX GHOOOOOOST!!!!!!!"

_Spin, Grab gun, Fire. _

Holly's instincts were hair sensitive normally. The added stress had not helped matters.

The blast was set at Stun, but it certainly looked menacing enough. Energy beams always intimidate more than near invisible projectiles, if only because the former was visible.

Everything froze.

* * *

Foaly was in an extremely foul mood.

Not only had Sool given him the third degree for wasting work hours on his own projects (Never mind how useful they were); he had even said if he got caught again, he would be fired! Him, the brightest mind the LEP had seen in years! The nerve of some people…

_Well, I suppose I just won't get caught._

Retreating into his office, Foaly darkened the windows, activated his silent alarms, and carefully hung his "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door.

People had learned to respect that sign ever since Foaly's experimental Metal-Eating Nanites had escaped. They were still finding holes in walls.

Deciding he was safe enough, Foaly made radio contact with Holly's helmet.

"_Easy there, the Box Ghost is annoying, but totally harmless-"_

"_YOU DARE TO CALL ME, THE BOOOOX GHOOOST, HARMLESS?! I WILL SHOW YOU THE POWER OF CUBICAL CARDBOARD AND THE BUBBLE-WRAP OF DEEEeaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!" _

"_See? Harmless,"_

That was a human voice. Holly wasn't responding, but a human was _seeing her_. And _talking to her._

Foaly was pretty sure his heart was making a valiant escape attempt through his wind-pipe.

"_Why don't you put that gun down, nice and slow…"_

She had her gun out. Oh, Gods above, SHE HAD HER GUN OUT.

Forget attempting, he was sure his heart was already out the door.

"Holly! What the Hell are you doing?! Who is that? Why do you have out your gun? What's going-"

"Incoming Data from _Holly – Short,"_ His computer said in its own cheerful monotone.

"You know, the helmet is sound proof, you don't have to-"

"I know. Turn on the HelmCam and take a look at what I'm seeing. Then you'll be _very_ interested in that scan,"

Holly sounded like she was in shock.

_I'm going to regret this…_

He linked to the HelmCam anyway.

Foaly saw a teenage human with white hair in a one piece jumpsuit that looked like it belonged in someone's lab. Was that a logo on the chest? Seriously, what were with kids these-?

_Wait. Is that a skyscraper behind him? _

It was. And from the looks of it, they were talking several stories above ground.

"Holly, how is that human flying?"

"I don't think its human, Foaly."

"Then what is it?"

"You researched the town! You tell me!"

He had. He knew exactly what this town claimed to be inhabited by. He had thought it was a hoax, not even worth mentioning…

_Ghosts._

* * *

"_Holly, get out of there, Now!" _

She didn't need to be told twice.

She dove, turning on her shield as she went. When gravity had given her enough of a head start, she punched the gas and took off as fast as her wings would carry her.

"Whoa, wait up! I'm not going to hurt you!"

_Yeah, right._

She stopped only when she got out of town, resting in some woods that were wild enough to ensure her safety.

"Foaly, you checked out the scan?"

"_Yes, and let me tell you, I haven't seen anything like this."_

"Never?"

"_Never,"_

"So… any theories?"

"_Oh, I've got plenty of those._ _The problem is that none of them are any more likely than dwarfs growing wings and soaring alongside pigs."_

"That bad?"

"_Worse."_

There was a pause.

"There must be _something…!"_

"_There is. But it is so ridiculous I never even bothered to mention it,"_

"Well, what are you waiting for, a more likely answer to drop into your lap?"

Foaly sighed heavily.

"_There are several sources claiming that this area is infested with…."_

"What?"

"_Well…"_

"Infested with WHAT, Foaly?"

"_It's just so _stupid…_"_

"I don't care how stupid it is, any info is better than none!"

Foaly sighed again. You could almost hear him pinching the bridge of his nose.

"_There are several news sites claiming that this area is infested with and frequently attacked by Ghosts."_

There was a significant pause.

"You must be kidding me."

Foaly's face popped into existence on her monitor.

"_Does this look like a kidding face to you?" _

Holly had to admit it didn't.

"_Bad enough we have to deal with Opal without backup, now we have to worry about things that should even exist…"_

"It could be worse."

"_How?! Neither of us has any idea where Opal is or what these things (whatever they are) can do, Sool is threatening to fire me if I get caught wasting work hours, Mulch is miles away, and we only have a month before you have to come back to Haven! How could things possibly get any worse!?"_

"Artemis could be out of reach."

"…_No. Absolutely not. We are not getting Artemis involved in this."_

"Do you have any better suggestions?"

"_Well, no-"_

"So why on not?"

There was a pregnant pause.

"_Involving him always means that this is going to turn into some big catastrophe."_

"Wasn't the guaranteed when we found out Opal escaped?"

"… _Yes," _Foaly replied grumpily.

"Soooo…?"

"_Fine. Call him."_

Holly started dialing.

"_Just don't blame me when this all goes straight to Hell…"_

End Chapter 6

AN: Remember how I mentioned Danny wouldn't need a thermos in chapter 5?

Yeah… I'm officially Retconing that. XD It should be edited by the time I put this chapter up.

Next Chapter, we figure out how Opal escaped! Yeah!


End file.
